Echoes In My Mind
by Mana-sensei
Summary: She is strange. She is Hankyō. Crazy, bipolar and mental. Everyone calls her that. Will she have a happy ending? And what's this big secret the third Hokage is hiding about Hankyo? GaaraxOCxSasuke and a bit of ShikaOC
1. Chapter 1: Crazy

Full summary: She is strange, both her and her name that is. She is (反響) Hankyō. People say she's crazy, bipolar and a completely mental person, well that just about sums it up. Will she ever have a normal, happy ending? Then again, nobody in this world does. Will two people change that or just make it worse for the poor girl?

-Start! God Knows by Hirano Aya-

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Crazy<p>

A red haired, blue eyed girl blew her chopping bangs out of her face. She huffed as it failed and covered most her left eye again. She wanted to pull, bite and gnaw at that stupid piece of hair. The red head pursed her lips.

Doing that would cause her great pain would it? She realized that it would and knitted her brows. Pain was not a good feeling… right-no-wait… yeah it wasn't a good feeling. Maybe if she had something sharp like a knife or better yet scissors! She bit at her sleeve remembering why she didn't have those kinds of things in her household anymore.

Her hair used to extend down her back, all the way down to her rear end. But, it just had gotten so irritating one day, she decided to cut it herself. Coincidentally some jounin had to check up on her (against their will) and thought she was trying to hurt herself again. She wasn't trying to hurt herself. She disliked the feeling of pain very much. It just somehow happened that she would get herself into an "accident". Nothing more, nothing less.

Those 'idiots' as the young girl put it, interrupted her hair cut just before she could finish. A knock came upon her door as she was in deep thought about her unruly hair. She frowned and walked down the hallway, passing a mirror along the way. She abruptly stopped and re-traced her steps, forgetting all about her previous task. She stood in front of the mirror and gaped at her current appearance. Her hands started to tremble as she touched her reflection in the hallway mirror.

How could I describe this feeling? It was just so… so nerve wrecking. The feeling could be called that. Her eyes widen as she scanned the reflection. She twitched. The knocking on the door seemed to get louder every second. Her heart rate sped up and her hands seemed to be sweating. Her eyes widened as they lingered on the mirror. How could she go out like this? It was terrible! Why did this happen to her? Her of all people! She kept thinking, closing her eyes.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" she screeched. The jounin outside came in through the window and ran to her location.

"Oi stop that!" they yelled.

She ignored them and kept pounding her fist into the mirror, ignoring the pain, blood and glass that were flying all over that place. She kept screaming and screaming hoping the pain would go away but was reluctant to refrain from punching the now shattered mirror.

The two jounin looked at each other, panicked by the scene. They ran over to her one grasping her feet and the other taking a hold of her hands. Now noticing the two jounin who were trying to retain her, she flailed her arms in hopes to get free.

"NOOO LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO!" she shrieked, "DON'T LOOK AT ME THAT WAY AHHHHH!"

The jounin winced at the volume of her voice. They looked at each other unsure of what to do. The one behind her spoke up.

"look, if you clam down I'll get you some ramen after we disinfect your hands" he bribed.

"Like that would work" the other snorted.

Her movement stopped and stood silently so she would get ramen like she was promised. She loved ramen.

"You were saying Izumo?" he smirked.

"Shut up Kotetsu!" Izumo sneered.

The girl looked at the two with curious eyes. "So do I still get ramen like you said I would?" she said with a pleading voice.

"After we take care of your hand" Izumo instructed. Her expression lit up, forgetting about her bleeding hands.

"Really? Hooray!" she cheered, smiling at the jounin. Kotetsu smiled a bit and ruffled her hair.

"You can eat as much as you want alright, Hankyō?" Kotetsu added. Hankyō shook her head, being too happy for words.

* * *

><p>-End! Thank You! By Home Made Kazoku—<p>

Wahoo! I finally found my Gaara x OC x Sasuke story! Sooo how was it? I never wrote about a person like Hankyō before. It's a challenge for me but it is what it is. Yeah I should be writing my other stories and not start new ones but I couldn't help it! plus I've had a bit of writers block for my other stories and this one seemed so interesting. Please review and give me feedback, it helps to know that if someone is reading I will continue this story.

-Aiko ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Ps. Don't you just love my bear sign?


	2. Chapter 2: Ramen Please?

-Start! God Knows by Hirano Aya—

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: Ramen Please?<p>

Hankyō idly looked around the room, making random expressions as she does. She winced at the slight pain on her right hand. Izumo looked up expecting a hit but saw no reaction from the small red head. He took another look at her injured hand and frowned.

He sighed, "Kotetsu stop emptying her fridge and get in here!" Izumo shouted.

Kotetsu pouted and trudged into the room. Izumo looked at him and back at Hankyō. He took a cottonball soaked in alcohol and held it with chopsticks.

"Alright Hankyō,"

"Hm?" she blinked her sky blue eyes at him.

"This is going to sting a bit ok?"

Hankyō retreated her hand a bit. Sting a bit? More like sting a lot! That's what they always say before it starts to hurt.

Kotetsu held a firm grip on her shoulders to prevent her from moving her arms. Izumo gulped and firmly took her hand. She knitted her brows together and tried to pull her hand back.

"It'll be really quick Hankyō" Kotetsu said reassuringly. She bit her lip a bit but relaxed a bit.

* * *

><p>"ITAI! IT HURTS! YOU LIED TO ME AGAIN! AHHHHH!" the young red haired girl screamed. She struggled in Kotetsu's arms. Of course it would sting a lot, how could she believe those two chunin? But she couldn't help it! It was for Ichiraku's ramen… but was this really worth it? Between wails, Hankyō pondered on the thought for a moment. Worth it? Or not? Yes or no? Bah! Forget it! <em>'For the ramen!'<em> she cheered in her mind.

She stopped struggling again once the intense pain was gone. The two chunin looked at each other, both not entirely sure of what to do. Hankyō faced them with pleading eyes and her hands folded.

"Now?" she politely asked.

Izumo's face scrunched up in thought. Should he let her go outside considering what happened today? He turned to Kotetsu and sweat dropped at the look he was giving.

"Come on," he pleaded and placed Hankyō in front of him. "You can't say no to this face can you?"

"Pretty please?"

"With a cherry on top?" he added.

Izumo grumbled incoherent words whilst the other two snickered. They can be so childish it seems. And I do mean all of them.

So now the three of them set out to Ichiraku's Ramen like Kotetsu promised. But he was sadly reminded that only he would be paying for Hankyō. He half-sulked half-cheered all the way to the ramen stand.

Hankyō trotted behind Kotetsu and Izumo, behind Hankyō, smiled at bit at her happy carefree self. It wasn't every day that the small girl got out of her small home. Technically, she could go out but being by herself was a different matter that was to not be discussed. Izumo watched as Hankyō skipped around Kotetsu with glee. He smiled. She was so cute when she smiled.

"Hey look it's the crazy chick" a bystander said. The old women started to gossip and stared at the red-head. Hankyō stopped upon hearing the villager's comments and started to tremble.

Why were they saying these things again? What did she do wrong? All Hankyō wanted was some Ichiraku ramen and spend time with her favorite chunin. This was why Hankyō was so afraid of going outside. The villagers would often say mean things about her behind her back. Worst of all, she hear every single comment thrown at her. She started to tuck at her red locks and chewed her lips. It seemed like the voices were getting louder and louder every passing second. Her eyes grew wide and her pupils dilated.

"Hey look the walking nut-house is shaking!" one whispered.

"IS she going to have a seizure?" another said.

"Shhh! She might claw your eyes out!" the other scolded. Izumo and Kotetsu glared at them, scaring them off.

'_Why? WHY?_' she shouted in her mind. Hankyō stood there in the middle of the streets. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand why everyone said mean words to her. She felt a warm hand on her shoulders. She looked up. Kotetsu and Izumo looked down at her with concern and worry written on their faces.

"Ha-"Izumo began but was cut off.

There in the distance, Hankyō can see it. It was hard to miss that blob of color in the crowded street of Konoha. A grin started to spread across her face as the excitement started to build up inside of her. Her hands started to sweat and she started to get jumpy as well. The two chunin let go of their grip on her shoulder and like lightening she was off.

Hankyō kept running and running, trying to push her way through the crowd to get to her destination. She could see that it was heading toward the directly to Ichiraku's ramen stand, as was three others. As Hankyō ran as fast as she could, Izumo and Kotetsu lagged behind as they knew who she saw and thought it was ok to take their time to the ramen stand.

Hankyō inched closer to her target. When she was a few feet away, the red-head jumped to tackle the person she was aiming for.

* * *

><p>"Alright Ichiraku's here I come!" Naruto shouted with glee.<p>

"Calm down Naruto!" Sakura scolded. Kakashi twitched a little and looked over in the distance from his orange book. He smiled and went back to reading his Icha Icha Paradisu.

"NA-!"

"Did anyone hear that?" asked Sakura. Was she hearing things?

"Ah? I didn't hear anything" Kakashi lied.

"RU-!"

"What's that?" Sasuke questioned. He pointed into the distance. Team 7 brought their attention to the direction he was pointing in. naruto squinted.

"Ah? I don't see anything" he inquired. But as he said that a flash of red came into his view. "Wha-?"

"-TO!"

Before Naruto could finish his sentence he was tackled to the ground. Sakura gaped at the scene while Kakashi was amused by the whole thing. But alas, Sasuke was the only one who seemed slightly annoyed.

Naruto opened one eye and rubbed his head. There was something really heavy weighing him down and it was… cuddling him? What? The blond's eyes widen.

"HANKYO!" Naruto shouted with glee as he hoisted the two off them off the ground.

"H-hi" she whispered shyly, her arms still around him. Naruto grinned widely. He hugged her back, swinging her around in a circle all the while. He put her down gently as he felt her tremble in his arms a little. "Hi Naruto!" she said more energetically.

"Hey! Where have you been Hankyō? I haven't seen you in a while" he asked being very curious of her whereabouts. She squirmed a little.

"A-ano hello" the small red head said again. Sakura looked at her strangely. Was she mental or something? Yes she is Sakura. On the contrary, Naruto being used to Hankyō smiled and ruffled her hair but stopped.

"What happened to your hair?" he asked again. Hankyō twitched again and touched the top of her head, her hand meeting his.

"It's bad isn't? ISN'T IT?" her voice started to get louder.  
>"Of course not! It's cute!"" Hankyō looked at Naruto, astonished. Did he really mean that? The reason why he hadn't seen her in so long was because of the hair incident. She didn't want her ugliness to be seen by Naruto. But he said… it was cute. She blushed a little.<p>

"Come on let's get some ramen!" the jinchuuriki cheered and raced toward the ramen stand. Izumo and Kotetsu finally caught up to them. They looked at Kakashi and shrugged when he gave them a questioning look. Eventually only Sasuke and Hankyō were behind the group.

"…ears"

"What?" Hankyō started to become alarmed by Sasuke's voice. He sighed and looked at her.

"I said it looks like you have animal ears from the way your hair is" he simply said.

"EH?" she said grabbing the side of her head, covering her "ears".

"Pft let's go Kitsune-chan" Sasuke smirked and started to walk away slowly, making sure Hankyō was following him.

All the while Hankyō looked him still in shock. He laughed? He called her Kitsune-chan? She pursed her lips and walked a bit faster when he looked back. She cocked her head to the side in an adorable way when the young Uchiha looked at her once again but immediantly looked away. This was very puzzling indeed. Hankyō couldn't understand at all. Should she take what he said as an insult or not? She decided it would be best if she thought about after some bowls of ramen that were paid by Kotetsu. Too bad for him that she was really hungry today.

* * *

><p>-End! Thank You! By Home Made Kazoku—<p>

Review please, thanks. And I'm glad you people like it so far. Meh, I'm tired… time for bed I guess. I also uploaded some pictures of Hankyō on my deviant art page. Please take a look :)

-Aiko ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ


	3. Chapter 3: Pineapple Sketches

-Start! God Knows by Hirano Aya—

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: Pineapple Sketches<p>

Hankyō and Naruto patted their full bellies with content while Kotetsu gaped at his now empty wallet.

"Mmmm pineapple…" Hankyō smiled to herself. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura looked at her odd comment on her empty bowls of ramen.

"There weren't any pineapples in it" Sasuke sated as a matter of fact.

"…"

Nope, not one word from the red-haired girl. Hankyō simply stared at the bowl of ramen in front of her. She seemed dazed to say the least. Sakura attempted to say something to her but was stopped by Naruto. He shook his head knowing it wasn't best to bother the mental girl right now. Believe it or not, she could go berserk for all we know when she's in a dazed state like now. The kunoichi nodded her head slightly and turned back to making 'cute' eyes at her true love.

Sasuke twitched in annoyance from both of females. One almost completely ignores his existence while the other adores him to no end. Why were both so annoying? He glanced at Hankyō who was still in a daze. Kind of like her head was in the clouds. Hm? Clouds? Meanwhile…

Every single cent Kotetsu had with him was now gone. Kaput. Nothing. Tears ran down his face as he cradled his wallet close to him. Izumo scoffed at the depressed chunin. It was his fault that Hankyō had a sudden craving for ramen. Maybe if he hadn't brought it up then he would still have his money. But he did feel a little sad for Kotetsu. "Think about you should say first next time baka" he mocked. Let the bickering wars begin.

"NANI? If I hadn't said that then she would have never stopped screaming!" Kotetsu countered. Izumo snorted at his comeback.

"Hai Hai, at least I wasn't the one who absorbed all her food" Izumo retorted at his friend.

"Hah? BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!"

"Nani? AHO! AHO! AHO!"

"Bakayarō!"

"Manuke!"

"Noroma!"

"You take that back!" shouted Izumo.

"You first!" huffed Kotetsu.

Kakashi watched the two with amusement as they bickered back and forth at each other for no reason. Really, they could go on forever.

Sasuke on the other hand, thought the two chunin were annoying dorks. He poked at his bowl of ramen, ignoring Sakura's plea for attention. He couldn't help but feel like someone or something was missing… but what? The young Uchiha pondered on this topic while ignoring both his teammates. That is, until their sensei spoke up after he got tired of watching the insults fly back and forth.

"Hey aren't you missing someone?" the jounin casually said without tearing his eyes from the page he was reading. This will be interesting. Yes indeed. The two chunin looked at each other and then back to Kakashi, looking at him in confusion. The jounin sighed behind his mask. Those two can be terrible babysitters. "Female, tiny, big blue eyes, red hair and has a hairstyle that looks like she has animal ears? Ring a bell?" he said so very sarcastically to them.

Both of them froze in place, including Naruto and Sasuke. They all looked to the empty bar stool seat that once occupied Hankyō's presence. She was gone. As in, not there. Like she was a ninja (which she officially isn't) and disappeared using a transportation jutsu. Izumo and Kotetsu started to panic now. How could they lose the little girl so easily? Was that even possible?

Finally the Kyuubi vessel understood what his sensei meant. He stood up and faced them, hands on his head.

"Damn it! We lost Hankyō!" the blond shouted.

"Calm down Naruto! I'm sure she hasn't gotten that far" Sakura said reassuringly. Kotetsu shook his head violently.

"No, if it's Hankyō… she-"he began.

"-she could be _anywhere_ right now" Izumo finished, making an emphasis on _anywhere_. Sakura sweat dropped.

"Isn't that a little much?" she said nervously.

"No" was the simple answer.

"We have to find her fast! I mean what if she gets lost?" Naruto said worryingly. The poor boy didn't want his precious friend getting hurt again. His face saddened with such thoughts in his mind.

"Don't worry we'll find her… I hope" Kotetsu said.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was in deep thought and Kakashi didn't miss this. He wondered if the kid knew anything. Even if Hankyō favored him the least out of all of them, Naruto being the first obviously, but of course Kakashi would never say that to the poor kid.

This was annoying the crap out of Sasuke. No he wasn't annoyed by the fact that Hankyō never says anything to him anymore since they were children. What did he do wrong? Nothing! That's it… right? But then again, maybe it really _was _his fault.

* * *

><p>Flashback~<p>

Sasuke sat in his hospital bed, blankly looking down at his white sheets. The poor boy was pale as a ghost and motionless nonetheless. Why was the youngest Uchiha in the hospital? Well, that's because it was the day after Itachi murdered the Uchiha clan. He killed all of them. All except Sasuke. Why? Sasuke was so confused by his brother's actions. He kept asking himself that same answer, hoping someone would give him the answers.

Sasuke twitched when he heard muffled noises outside his hospital room. It died down after a while. The boy continued to sit there, staring down at his pure white sheets until the door finally rattled open. He didn't even bother to look up to see who came to visit him.

Hankyō stood nervously where she was in Sasuke's hospital room. Sarutobi stood behind the girl, by the door frame. After she heard about the incident, she thought that she should pay her regards to her friend. After all, he was so young. Too young.

"Sasuke" she finally managed to say to the Uchiha boy.

"…"

"I'm sorry—uh a-ano. Well, are you feeling better?"

"…"

"Sasuke, please say something" Hankyō urged.

"…"

Again, no response. Anger started to arise in Hankyō mind, as did other emotions when Sasuke still did not say one word to her. Why was he not saying anything to her? It didn't make any sense. Had she done something wrong to upset him? The last she need was to be shunned by the person she truly cared for the most. Hankyō was already nearing the edge.

"SAY SOMETHING!" she shouted, shaking from anger. Sasuke twitched once more from her demand. He shot his head up looking her straight in the eyes. Her blue eyes met his black ones.

"SAY SOMETHING? FINE! LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU DON'T KNOW MY PAIN! I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY EITHER SO JUST GET OUT OF MY LIFE YOU CRAZY, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING, UGLY GIRL!" Sasuke blurted all those hateful words out, astonishing both Hankyō and Sarutobi. Sasuke huffed with his hands trembling. He felt a little guilty saying those words to her, knowing her background… it must have hurt her more than the average person would have.

Hankyō looked at him, her pupils now dilated. She started to pull on her short side braid and slowly walked out of the room, trembling and shaking down the hallway. Sarutobi looked at Sasuke and shook his head. He closed the door and went after Hankyō hoping she'd be alright. But unfortunately, the third highly doubted that.

End flashback~

* * *

><p>After that, Hankyō avoided him like the plague. He didn't physically see her until the day Naruto painted on Mt. Hokage. She must be good at hiding because it seemed like she was gone for almost five years and when he was placed on the same team as Naruto, he saw her more often. But she never spoke one word to him. She would sometimes stare but nothing more.<p>

He felt guilty. It was written all over his heart. Guilty. You're guilty. Guilty…GUILTY UCHIHA! The raven-haired boy clutched his chest as if he were in pain. But he wasn't. Physically, no but mentally… HELL YEAH. Sasuke wondered why this topic was taking over his mind now. It didn't before. Not once has he pondered about such things, so why now? How could something as simple as Hankyō wondering off trigger such emotions from one of the last of the Uchiha clan?

"Damn where could she have gone off to?" Naruto questioned.

"Who knows? That girl is so random, it's hard to tell" Sakura added. Kotetsu paced back and forth, thinking of places she could be.

"… Art store"

Everyone stopped pacing and thinking. They turned to Sasuke with questionable looks. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

"She's into that art stuff" he deadpanned.

"Oh right…" Kotetsu thought carefully.

"It's weird how I always forget the countless painting and sketches she has in her house." Izumo added. In fact, there was a time when he sat on one of her paintings that were drying. Oh wait, that was yesterday.

"I just wish she draw something else besides the sky and meadows." Kotetsu deadpanned. Izumo and Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Ehh? No fair I've never seen any of her paintings before" Sakura sulked.

"Really? I didn't know you cared so much" Naruto said sarcastically.

"Tch Baka!" she punched his head. All true but Sakura doesn't like feeling left out as she was the only one who didn't know of Hankyō as well as any of them. But she did wonder why Sasuke would know that Hankyō is an artistic person. _'How would Sasuke-kun know? Does he like her? No, that's impossible. She never even had a decent conversation with either. But maybe they both share a forgotten past… Heh what am I thinking? That only happens in romance novels.'_

"Well I better go turn in the mission report. See you tomorrow kids" and with that Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the genin and chunin.

"I guess that just leaves us" Izumo sighed.

* * *

><p>"Hankyō!"<p>

"Here Hankyō!"

"She's not a freakin' animal for the last time!" Izumo shouted.

"Well how else are we-"they were interrupted by an old man calling out to them.

"Izumo-san! Kotetsu-san!"

They jogged over to the old man, who was also the owner of a cheap looking art store.

"Daiki-san! Did Hankyō pass by here?" Izumo asked hoping he said yes. He nodded which gave everyone some relief. "Where did she go?" he quickly asked.

"Yeah come on and tell us old man!" Naruto shouted.

"Baka! Show some respect to your elders!" Sakura scolded.

"I don't know" was all the old man said.

Everyone slumped in disappointment. How can Izumo and Kotetsu explain that they lost a mental girl that is so easily spotted? Red hair, a clean white dress… how could they miss it? They were about to leave but the old man stopped them.

"She _also_ took a few things" Daiki said while smile. Izumo sighed and gave the nice man the money.

"Thanks for trying to help us Daiki-san" Izumo said while giving him the money.

"Anything for my best costumer" he smiled and put the cash in the register.

"Eh? We don't really get any of this art stuff"

"I was talking about Hankyō-chan"

"Of course you were" Kotetsu deadpanned. Besides Ichiraku's ramen, most of the chunin's money went here.

After much bickering, Sasuke decided it wasn't worth his time to be here.

"This is stupid. I'm leaving" he stated and turned to leave but saw a flash of red in the crowded streets.

"Wait! I'll go with you Sasuke-kun" Sakura batted her eyes at him in attempt to make him say yes and they can finally be alone together.

"No" and he left with a blink of an eye.

"Damn kid left us with more work to do" Kotetsu whined.

* * *

><p>Hankyō scurried out of the busy streets and into the more forested area of Konoha. The air was crisp and light with a touch of warmth against your skin. The green grass on the hills swayed from the soft breeze and the sky seemed more blue and bright. Hankyō glanced up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. Her white fluffy dress gracefully flowed against the wind as a smile graced her features as she gazed at the fluffy clouds. It was as if for the moment the girl seemed sane.<p>

In the distance, but not too far, she spotted the person she was looking for. It was easy too. You just had to look for his spiky hair, can't miss it. Hankyō crawled through the grass on her elbows and knees, hoping she wouldn't be noticed. She finally reached him but he was still sleeping, at least she hoped so. She watched as his chest rise and fall with each breath he took.

"Hankyō"

She twitched.

"S-Shikamaru-kun? How'd you know it was me?" Hankyō huffed at the lazy genius. She had extra quiet and so careful too. Ah but she forgot the fact that Nara Shikamaru was also a ninja. He opened and eye to look at her. He groaned and sat up, stretching and yawning as well.

"It's not that hard. I could see your 'ears' in the grass" he bluntly said pointing to her hair.

She covered her "ears" that being said. "I know I look ugly, you don't have to rub it in!" she shouted at him.

"Mendōkusei, I never said it was ugly Hankyō" He sighed heavily at Hankyō's behavior.

"Eh? Really?" she said her expression now happy. Shikamaru reached over and petted her hair, noting how soft it was.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but… it's uh cute" he said with his cheeks tinged with pink. He looked away when he saw her big sky blue eyes stare back at him in awe. "Tch troublesome woman" he smiled and ruffled her. She giggled at the embarrassed Nara who lay back down with his hands resting under his head.

She rummaged through her bag and got out her new sketchbook and pencil. Hankyō looked over at Shikamaru. He was still awake no doubt and she felt bad. The red-haired girl flipped to the first page and began to draw. With every stroke and sketch her smile grew. She made sure that the bone structure was absolutely perfect and after a while, she finished. Hankyō smiled with content as she stared at her sketch of Shikamaru. She put her book and pencil away.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your nap"

"S'okay"

"No really"

"Uh huh"

"Shika-kun" she whined. He mentally sighed.

"Then sing me back to sleep" he lied. There was no problem going back to sleep for the Nara kid… but Hankyō would keep whining and yelling at him. But Hankyō thought that it was great idea.

Sasuke walked through the clearing, hoping that Hankyō came by here. He was sure that she went in this direction. He walked a little further in time to hear Hankyō mini private concert especially for Shikamaru.

"_sotto damatte tsuitekite  
>giniro yozora e<br>saisho de saigo no yakusoku__anata to kawashita_

_nemurenai no wa__kinosei ja nai  
>tobidasu aizu o matteta<em>

_sora to chijou no_

_arayuru kyoukaisen o  
>koeteiku yo<em>_konya anata o tsurete_

_nandemonai to kubi futte damatta yokogao_  
><em>saisho de saigo no inochi de<em>

_anata o mitsuketa_

_nee_

_yurusenai you na guuzen ni mo  
>bokura o michibiku nanika ga<em>

_machi ya kuni no_

_arayuru kyoukaisen o  
>koeteiku yo<em>_konya anata o nosete  
>sorasanaide<em>_kono keshiki o  
>chanto mite ari no mama<br>yogoreta ame__kienai kage  
>nanimokamo o uketomete<br>kore ga bokura no sumu sekai"_

How could he not see it? All those signs were right in front of him!

"_Mmmm pineapple…" Hankyō smiled to herself._

_He glanced at Hankyō who was still in a daze. Kind of like her head was in the clouds…_

"_I just wish she draw something else besides the sky and meadows." Kotetsu deadpanned._

It was so clear and right in front of him and he didn't see it. did this have some sort of hidden meaning? Sasuke frowned as Hankyō finished her soft song for Shikamaru.

"_nannimo iwazu me o tojite  
>giniro uchuu e<em>

_asa ni natte me o samashite_  
><em>subete o wasurete shimatte mo<em>

_sora to chijou no arayuru kyoukaisen o_  
><em>koeteiku yo<em>

_konya anata o tsurete  
>sorasanaide<em>_kono keshiki o_

_chanto mite ari no mama_  
><em>aoi hikari<em>

_mizu no nioi  
>ai o utau hito no koe<br>kore ga bokura no sumu sekai"_

Hankyō yawned and laid herself next to Shikamaru. It seems as if she started to put herself to sleep. She glanced at up at him and snuggled closer to him, unaware of the small blush on his face. Hankyō closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep herself, her white fluffy dress acting as a soft cushion for her thighs.

Shikamaru opened his eyes and turned toward Hankyō, making sure she was asleep. She looked so peaceful for once in her life. He brushed some stray hair out of her face and smiled at the sleeping figure in front of him. _'troublesome woman'_

It was like Nara Shikamaru had his own cloud nine named Hankyō.

Sasuke stared at the two from afar. His and Hankyō's bond was the first thing he separated himself from. Where would they be if he didn't? perhaps the both of them would still be best friends as they were before but he was foolish. It was the first of many mistakes in Uchiha Sasuke's life.

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><p>-End! Thank you by Home Made Kazoku—<p>

I made an AU for this fanfic…

Hankyō isn't necessarily 'mental' in this one though. Tired…

-Aiko ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ


	4. Chapter 4: Go Away

-Start! God Knows by Hirano Aya—

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><p>Chapter 4: Go Away<p>

Sasuke lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling for about an hour already. Three weeks. It had been three long weeks since he had last seen Hankyō. The little red-head haunted his mind still. He tossed and turned on his bed and frowned. The sight of Hankyō willingly be physically closer to Shikamaru flooded to his mind. It was weird; she never lets anyone touch her. Ever. The only exceptions were Kotetsu, Izumo, and Naruto. So why Shikamaru? Come to think of it when did they even become so close?

It was irksome.

Sasuke closed his eyes but immediately snapped open when he realized something. _'She already talked to me!'_ he thought as he sat up on his bed. Thinking back, Sasuke remembered Hankyō speaking to him. It was only two words but it was still something.

_Flashback…_

"_Come on let's get some ramen!" the jinchuuriki cheered and raced toward the ramen stand. Izumo and Kotetsu finally caught up to them. They looked at Kakashi and shrugged when he gave them a questioning look. Eventually only Sasuke and Hankyō were behind the group._

"…_ears"_

"_What?" Hankyō started to become alarmed by Sasuke's voice. He sighed and looked at her._

"_I said it looks like you have animal ears from the way your hair is" he simply said._

"_EH?" she said grabbing the side of her head, covering her "ears"._

_End…_

Sasuke huffed in victory at the previous memory. Surprisingly those two words meant a lot to him. He felt the urge to speak to Hankyō once more. To her smile at him, staring at him with those big blue eyes. He shook his head vigorously.

"I only meant it as a friend" he muttered to himself.

Sasuke stared at the old, tattered house in front of him and wondered how he ended up here in the first place. He glared at the door and took a few steps forward. He took his hand out of his pocket to knock on the door but stopped hesitantly. What would she say to him? Wait. Would she say anything at all?

Sasuke thought for a moment and knew that Hankyō probably didn't realize that she had spoken to him on that day three weeks ago. She can be so ditsy at times.

The raven mustered up all his courage and knocked on the door a couple of times. After a while there was no answer. He figured that either she wasn't home or that she knew it was him standing outside her door. He turned to leave but abruptly stopped when the door swung open.

Hankyō's sky blue eyes bore into Sasuke's obsidian ones. A light breeze could be felt. Sasuke could feel his hair tickling his face as he continued to stare at Hankyō who seemed to not move from her spot. She finally frowned at the boy in front of her and looked at him, showing no other emotion on her face. She obviously wondered why Sasuke was standing in front of her house. But she kept her mouth shut. Sasuke bit his lip and walked back toward Hankyō.

"Hankyō" he said with hope. She arched a brow at him, indicating that she was confused of his presence. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" he said somewhat rudely causing her frown to deepen. She shook her head and glared at him which he half expected. "I need to talk to you" he said more pleadingly. Her glare increased as she still said nothing. "Stop being so childish!" Sasuke raised his voice at the girl who winced at his volume.

She began to shake from an overflow of bottled up emotions. The corners of her eyes started to tear up as she bit her lip hard enough to bleed a little. Hankyō was so confused but she was also angry at Sasuke. But think about it. it had been years since she had spoken to him and it was him who pushed her away in the first place. But what could she do?

"J-JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she stuttered.

"Ha-"

"GO AWAY!" Hankyō shouted and slammed the door in Sasuke's face. he looked down with sad eyes and trudged to the training grounds.

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><p>-End! Thank You! by Home Made Kazoku-<p>

Meh this one was more about Sasuke. I'm so sad that no one reviewed last chapter but I'm kind of happy that there are people who are reading :/ which is why this chapter was so short.

-Aiko ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ


	5. Chapter 5: Oh Decisions

-Start! God Knows by Hirano Aya—

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><p>Chapter 5: Oh Decisions<p>

Hankyō breathed heavily as she lied on her futon. Time went fast for the red head as it was only yesterday that Sasuke came by her house. He wanted to talk. About what though? What could they possibly converse about? She started to feel angry as her skin became a bit warm from the sudden emotion bubbling up inside her.

The red head was still mad if you haven't noticed. She developed a small grudge over the past few years because of that day in the hospital. But it was unhealthy to have a grudge for this long. At least, that what her therapist had advised her. And Hankyō did like being healthy rather than unhealthiness.

But if the Uchiha had willingly walked all the way over to her house, maybe, just maybe Kami-sama was trying to say that it was time. It was time to forget about what had happened between them. _'Wait, what happened between us?'_ she thought. Hankyō scrunched her nose trying to remember but to no avail, nothing came up into her mind. Perhaps she was being childish about the situation. Sasuke already took the first step to try to patch things up. So now, she figured, it was her turn to take the second step.

Hankyō sat up and fumbled out of her futon to prepare herself for Sasuke. She stepped over some painting and stopped when she past a closet which had never been opened since then. She reached over, her hand hovering over the brass knob but snatched her hand away upon hearing Izumo's voice in the kitchen.

"Coming!" she announced to the waiting chunin. She walked over to the kitchen with soft steps. Izumo turned around to face her, wearing a small frilly pink apron while holding a pair of chopsticks. Hankyō stifled a laugh as she asked the chunin what he was making for dinner; he replied "chicken curry with white rice. You have to eat all your vegetables this time Hankyō."

And she responded by pouting, seating herself on the cushion. Hankyō looked around saw that Kotetsu wasn't around. And then something clicked in her little noggin.

"Haha **(1)** where's Chichi **(2)**?" Hankyō asked innocently as 'Haha' set the table.

"He's grocery shopping as a punishment for cleaning out the fridge" Izumo replied but froze as he reached for his pair of chopsticks, "Who are you calling 'Haha'?" he asked irritably. Hankyō flinched in her seat when the shoji door slide open.

"AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING 'CHICHI'?" Kotetsu shouted. Izumo immediately chucked his spoon at the other ninja who, stupidly, did not dodge the flying object. Is he really a ninja? Surprisingly to both of them, the red head remained calm.

"Izumo-san is like my 'Haha' and Kotetsu-san is like my 'Chichi'" she explained without hesitation. The red head flinched once more from Kotetsu's sudden laugh. She smiled along with the care-free person, not knowing what was so funny. But Izumo sure did know and he also knew that it wasn't a funny in his perspective. Apparently being called a mother was not a complement to a young man like Izumo.

"I am **not** a Haha, understand Hankyō?" she nodded once, "You can call me Izumo-san again or Izumo-nii or just plain Onii-san got that? I am clearly not a woman!" Izumo scolded.

Finally after calming down, all three began to eat their lunch but not in peace. That doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't a fun meal though, it was. It was always lively with the three of them. These moments made Hankyō wish they could all live together like a real family.

Hankyō's smile faded when the thought Sasuke flooded her mind like a plague. _'That's right. I still need to approach him—in some kind of way. Ano, but that might be awkward but! I pushed him away so wouldn't I need to reach out to him this time?'_ she thought awkwardly in her head until she came to a decision but she needed privacy with the Uchiha.

Now all that's left to do is a little bit of careful planning. We can't be messing up a totally perfect kind-of-a-reunion now would we?

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><p>-End! Thank You by Home Made Kazoku—<p>

**1. **'Haha' is Japanese for mother besides okaa-san

**2.** 'Chichi' is Japanese for father besides otou-san

I finally know what "Kazoku" means. It means "Family" hopefully I'm not wrong XD thanks for all those people who favorite/alerted

It would help if you review…

-Aiko ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ


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